Outside Looking In

Roger retires
There is no party planned, but Roger has officially retired at the Minneota Public School after serving students as a therapy dog for the past four years. He received a Certificate of Appreciation for his four years of service from the President of the Therapy Dogs Alliance.
Roger even had his own locker in the teacher's lounge and was listed in the staff directory along with his photo on the school website.
Roger, a Corgi mix, has been the school's official therapy dog since February of 2020. The pudgy short-legged dog was a hit with students and teachers alike. Between classes, if Roger was roaming the halls with his owner Caryn Hetland, a paraprofessional at the school for the past 21 years, students would say hi to Roger or stop and give him a quick pet as they passed by.
In the classrooms, he was a calming influence. Students would bring him treats and he, in turn, would bring them joy. Sometimes, as mentioned in a feature story I did for the Mascot in 2020, Roger was so comfortable being around kids that he would often plop down in a beanbag chair in a classroom and take a little nap.
"I moved over to the high school now, so it didn't really work in my schedule anymore to have Roger there," Hetland explained about Roger's retirement. "(Roger) also turned eight, so I figured it was time, though he still gets up and gets ready to go to school every day."
Another reason Hetland decided on keeping Roger at home most days is that he was attacked and injured at his home by two larger dogs last summer and hasn't fully recovered physically from that incident.
"Once the weather warms up, it will be easier for me to have him for shorter visits at school," Hetland said. "We are fortunate to live close by, so running him home when he is tired won't be such a big deal."
Roger was as excited to go to school each day as the kids were to see him.
Hetland, who helps find home for rescue dogs, first took Roger to school during "I Love to Read" in February of 2019, calling him a "guest reader", and the students immediately became attached to him.
So, Hetland decided to get Roger certified as a therapy dog because of his calm demeanor and adoration of children. The school had never had a therapy dog before and the school board approved the idea for the 2019-2020 school year.
"I'm really proud of the program him and I started," Hetland said. "Leaving a path for future pet therapy teams seems a great accomplishment to me."
Roger is a rescue dog taken in by Hetland as a foster pet from the Tracy Area Animal Rescue, just as she has done with many other dogs over the years. He was picked up as a stray in Worthington and was going to be euthanized by his previous owner.
Hetland's initial plan was to find a home for Roger. But she "found something about him and fell in love with him right away", so she ended up adopting him for her own.
When the Mascot chose Roger as Pet of the Week in 2020, he was congratulated by teachers and students.
"I've seen (Roger) pull and escalate a student out of a mood instantly, just from spotting Roger coming down the hallway," Minneota Elementary Principal Jen Mahan-Deitte said when Roger was first employed by the school district.
Hetland can tell Roger misses school by the way he gets ready every morning.
"He sits by the door most mornings waiting to see if he is going to school with me," she explained. "It is hard to leave him behind, but I do my best to make it up to him when I get home.